On January 6, 2022, legendary actor Sidney Poitier died at 94. Poitier changed Hollywood and society. He opened doors for Black actors.
Miami, Florida, birthplace of Poitier. Before going to NYC at 15, he lived in poverty on Cat Island, Bahamas. Before his 1946 Broadway debut in “Lysistrata,” Poitier worked odd jobs. He appeared in several Broadway plays before moving to movies.
Poitier played a doctor treating two white supremacists in “No Way Out,” his 1950 cinematic debut. African actors had never led Hollywood films before. Poitier starred in other pioneering films like “Blackboard Jungle,” “The Defiant Ones,” and “In the Heat of the Night.”
In “The Defiant Ones,” Poitier and Tony Curtis played two escaped convicts, one black and one white, who must work together to survive. Critically and commercially successful, the film addressed race and racism. Poitier was the first African actor nominated for Best Actor.
In 1967’s “In the Heart of the Night,” Poitier played Black Southern investigator Virgil Tibbs. The film won five Oscars, including Best Picture, for addressing racism and police violence. The film has Poitier’s greatest performance.
Poitier championed civil rights and equality throughout his career. He spoke out against Hollywood prejudice and segregation. He joined Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Poitier shaped Hollywood. He opened doors for Black actors. He established that African actors could be leading men and women and that their stories were as essential as white ones.
Poitier wrote and continued to act in his final years. “The Measure of a Man,” his 2000 memoir, was one of his novels.
Sidney Poitier was a pioneering actor and civil rights activist. His influence on Hollywood and society will endure.